Welcome to my blog! I blog about the historical romances I write as well as the history behind them.

Guest Post Series - Historical Novel Research

When I started writing romance novels in my twenties, I
shied away from historical romance. I
read tons of them, but I mean, really, how much history did I know?

I spent a couple years dabbling in straight sci fi. Turns
out that despite years of watching Star Trek, I knew less about science than I
did about history. To compensate for that weakness, I tried my hand at
paranormal, figuring that in that genre I could sort of make it up as I went.
Somehow, I suspect the publishers knew I was faking it.

Still not ready to try my hand at my true love, historical
romance, I gave up writing for more than a decade.

Then, a few years ago, I started my own business as a
freelance business writer. I thought, what the heck, as long as I’m writing
full time, I might as well try my hand at romance novels again.

In the ensuing years, I had also developed an interest in
American history. When it came time to write my first novel, I knew it couldn’t
be anything other than an American Historical Romance. (I still love a
Highlander or a good Duke, but that’s not the world I knew.)

Despite having more than a passing knowledge of American
history, I do a ton of research before, during, and sometimes after finishing a
manuscript as I try to capture the time period and ensure accuracy. Knowing the
history isn’t the same as understanding the society.

I am in awe of other writers who do it so well you’d swear
they actually lived during the period.

To get a feel for how they do their research, I’m starting a
guest post series for historical novel research. I’ve invited a handful of
fellow authors, mostly romance but not exclusively, to submit posts. Several
have already eagerly agreed.

Watch for these in the weeks ahead, and I hope you enjoy the
series!

MJ

P.S. If you are an author of historical novels and would
like to participate, drop me a line at mj@maryjeanadams.com
and I will send you the details.